Under pressure from the United Arab Emirates, the Arab League brought up for discussion last week Abu Dhabi's demand from Iran to negotiate with it on the return of the 3 islands that Iran captured in the Persian Gulf. The Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates said that he "again calls on Iran to respond in a constructive manner to repeated initiatives for a peaceful solution to the issue of the three occupied Emirati islands, Great and Small Tunb and Abu Musa, through direct negotiations or through an appeal to the International Court of Justice"

Iran reacted with fury to the very discussion of the issue of the islands in the Arab League and said that the three islands are its own. The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry said "The accusations in this statement are baseless and the three islands are an inseparable part of Iran. The three islands of Abu Musa, Great Tunb and Small Tunb are an inseparable part of Iranian territory."

To reduce pressure on Iran, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry tried to direct attention towards Israel and the US by saying: "The destructive policies of the United States and the Zionist entity, and the miscalculations of countries in the region, led to the intervention of foreign countries (in the islands affair, tipp). Instead of taking responsibility and correcting their failed policies, (countries in the region, tipp) continue to make empty accusations"